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"On behalf of the city, we're sorry for what happened to you and for what you went through," Brewer told them.

About 300 people who had crammed into the Kansas African American Museum for the ceremony stood and cheered.

Keys also went to Brenda Davis and Michelle Lewis-Hardy, the daughters of Wichita attorney Chester I. Lewis. As president of the Wichita Branch NAACP at the time, he approved the sit-in against the wishes of the national NAACP office.

The presentation was among the highlights of a day that drew Wichitans of all backgrounds together to honor the sit-in participants. The celebration included a march that grew to roughly 500 people through downtown to Chester I. Lewis Reflection Square Park and a gospel concert at Tabernacle Baptist Church.

"The legacy is not just for black children but for all children," said Ron Walters, who was president of the Wichita Branch NAACP youth group during the sit-in. "The legacy needs to be taught in schools and preached in the pulpits.

"The legacy is beyond this moment."

The Wichita Branch NAACP, led by Kevin Myles, coordinated the celebration, and has worked for two years to raise the sit-in's profile.

Sit-in participant Daisy Blue also credits local historian Gretchen Eick for helping bring recognition through her book, "Dissent in Wichita."

"It's her day, too," Blue said. "She made it happen for us."

The Dockum sit-in, which kicked off in July 1958 and ended the following Aug. 11, prompted similar sit-ins weeks later in Oklahoma City and other places across the Midwest.